Photos

THE GAME:
“The buzkachi is a traditional game of Afghanistan and of the Central Asian steppes. The body of a beheaded ram is stuffed with wet sand to make it heavier. A white circle ( hallal ) is drawn with lime on the ground. At an equal distance on the right and on the left sides of the hallal two masts are erected. At a signal given by the judge(s) the participants rush to attempt to grab the carcass and throw it in the white circle after ridding around one of the masts. Once a rider has secured the carcass he may be immediately challenged by other competitors who will wrestle with him all along or be left alone while he goes to turn around the mast and then be assaulted on his way back to the hallal . Buzkachis can be pleasant affairs among members of the same clan or brutal encounters between highly-skilled horsemen of different groups, particularly when the monetary and prize incentives are high. (extracts from “Vents d’Est” – Pierre Claquin)”

THE PHOTO:
For those who are looking for the carcass, it’s the blue rider who is holding it. You can see it below his brown horse. Samangan Buzkachi was my favorite of all the ones I’ve seen during this winter season. The best buzkach of Samangan, Takhar, Kunduz, Mazaar, Balkh and Badakhshan were there as the Samangan governor offered this Buzkachi (for the modest amount of roughly 20000$) as part of the ceremony in honor of his son’s circumcision. Despite the numerous riders (which often translates into a very chaotic and confusing spectacle) the intensity and rhythm was excellent. The money rewards (up to 1200 $) can partly explain this.